Fine Fare Supermarket and new pharmacy coming to Knolls Crescent

A new Fine Fare Supermarket is expected to open at 21B Knolls Crescent in what was a previously a vacant Rite Aid space. Junior Frias, owner of Ben’s Market, next door to his soon-to-open supermarket, will continue to lease the Ben’s space and turn it into a new pharmacy, he said. The Fine Fare is in the works to open Sept. 1, while the pharmacy is set to open in March 2027, according to Frias.

With the opening of the new stores Frias aims to help the community.

“I want to help the community as much as I possibly can,” he said. “I hear my customers on how much a supermarket and pharmacy are needed.”

The new supermarket and pharmacy will bring more accessible services to residents in the Sputyen Duyvil area. Mark Gimpeel, a Sputyen Duyvil resident of 20 years, thinks that the stores will be a great addition to the neighborhood as he feels there are not many local food options for residents.

“I think it’s great, there are at least a thousand apartments around here, and there is very little to service them,” said Gimpeel.

In previous years a handful of businesses closed in the Knolls Crescent Shopping Plaza, including the closure of the Rite Aid last summer and the Chase Bank in 2020, which was the location of the only easily accessible ATM for many neighborhood residents.

One resident from Kingsbridge was thrilled to hear about the soon-to-come addition in the shopping plaza. Marie O’Shea feels that the new stores will have a positive impact on the community and residents.

“It would be great for the residents because they won’t have to go all the way down to Kingsbridge to access things like a supermarket,” said O’Shea.

The new supermarket aims to bring shoppers a larger selection for lower prices, along with organic meats and produce, a selection of meat in a 36-foot display case, an ATM and Lotto according to Frias.

According to an email from Karen Kawaguchi, the co-organizer of the Save Knolls Kappock Retail Coalition, Ali Elbasha is set to help run the incoming pharmacy. Elbasha is a Knolls Crescent resident who worked at the Rite Aid in the shopping plaza as a staff pharmacist for 12 years.